


Science Day!

by AClusterOfFandoms



Series: Uncle Cecil! [1]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Fluff, M/M, SCIENCE!, These dorks, real science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 09:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2145897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AClusterOfFandoms/pseuds/AClusterOfFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, someone submitted a headcanon to videntefernandez's Tumblr about Carlos keeping kids science kits in the lab for Cecil a while ago, and it mentioned Cecil doing science with Janice, so that's what prompted this. I also just bought a couple of these, so that helps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Science Day!

*Weather ends*  
"Today's the day, listeners! As I have been dutifully informing you during the course of my broadcast, it's science day! I have been trying for months to get the city council to introduce this day, in celebration of the contribution that science makes to our everyday lives. Throughout the day, the science department at the community college will be putting on demonstrations and taster lectures for budding scientists of all ages. I myself and very into science these days, and I'll be celebrating with my niece Janice and my boyfriend Carlos- he's a scientist, so he knows about these things. Please don't try to do science in your home without a trained scientist, a lab coat and a pair of safety goggles. No really. We'll know."

"Anyway… like I said, I have science to do, and you should get down to the community college and learn something new today, listeners! Stay tuned next for the slow effervescence of baking soda and vinegar."

Cecil left the station and Carlos was waiting outside. He grinned and showed his perfect teeth as the climbed into his truck.  
"Do you think I mentioned science day enough?" Cecil asked, earnestly and Carlos laughed.  
"You mean do I think seven times in half an hour was enough? Yeah, you did a very good job informing listeners about science day. Now we just have to celebrate it." Carlos kept one hand on the wheel and put the other on Cecil's thigh and they drove. They were going to Janice's house because she had a sink and work top that she could use in her wheelchair, and sadly Carlos' lab did not. However, he had packed up a whole bunch of science equipment into his truck and they would still be able to do everything that's safe enough for a ten year old girl anyway.

When they arrived, Janice was looking out of the window and came to greet them.   
"Mom, Dad, Uncle Cecil's here! Carlos too!" She called upstairs and a woman who was presumably Janice's mother came down to the living room. She went to hug Cecil.  
"It's nice to see you."  
"You too, Monica. It's been too long." There was a smile shared between the two, the meaning of which Carlos did not know, and then Steve joined them.   
"Steve," Cecil dead panned, making eye contact with the man.   
"Cecil," he said in equal tone, nodding. He turned to look at Carlos. Even though Night Vale wasn't a large place and they had both seen each other before, and his step-daughter had just yelled his name, Steve was pretending he didn't know who this man in his house was. Cecil broke the strange silence.  
"Monica, Steve, this is Carlos. Carlos, Monica and Steve."   
Monica stepped forwards.  
"It's nice to finally meet you, Carlos." They embraced, and he saw the family resemblance in Janice and they both pulled away.   
Steve just extended his hand, and Carlos took it.   
"We've heard a lot about you. You're here to show Janice some science experiments?" It was difficult to tell if it was a question, but he answered it anyway.  
"Yes, we've a number of interesting experiments to do. They're all incredibly safe though." The Scientist was visibly and audibly nervous, and Cecil slipped his arm around his middle, daring Steve to go on and ask him a probing question.  
Monica jumped in.  
"Well, we're just going to the waterfront and recreation area and then grabbing a slice at Big Rico's. We'll be back by eight." Steve had moved to put his arm around Monica's waist and he leaned down to kiss her. Janice coughed loudly to remind the group of adults emerged in their metaphysical punch-up that she still existed.   
"That's fine Monica, have a great time."  
They both said bye to Janice and told us to be careful with our science.  
"We'll try not to ruin your kitchen, honest." The voice of Night Vale winked at Janice and then her parents were out of the door and gone.  
"Okay, let's do some science. What do we need Uncle Carlos? Is it okay it I call you that?" She looked unsure, and sank back a bit. He looked at Cecil, and thought for a second. He had been Uncle Carlos to his sister's little boys, and he thought seeing as he and Cecil were a couple there was no problem with it.  
"Sure Janice, that's fine." She smiled and nodded.  
"Okay, good. Science!" She proclaimed and wheeled into the kitchen. Carlos went to the truck to get a box of equipment and brought it back inside.

"So, Dr Carlos, what's the first step of science?" Cecil asked, bouncing on his feet.   
"I'm not a doctor, Cecil." He blushed, but Cecil just shrugged.   
"I'm a scientist. And today you're scientists too, so the first step is to dress like scientists. I've brought you both lab coats and goggles, because safety is important." He handed them both some safety goggles and Cecil put on his lab coat. Carlos helped Janice get hers on while Cecil lifter her to make sure the lengthy lab-coat was on properly.  
"Good, now we're ready for science. First we're going to-"  
"Wait, wait. We need a selfie here. Janice, could you do the honour?" They crouched either side of Janice's chair and she took picture just as Cecil held his fingers up behind her head and stuck his tongue out.  
"Uncle Cecil! Do it properly." She said, causing him to pout but he did as he was told. They took another and then the radio host put his phone away, ready to pay attention.  
"Well, first I thought we'd start our crystal making. They're not particularly useful, but they're very pretty and should last a long time so we can make them keepsakes. We're doing them first because they take a while to grow."  
Carlos searched through the box and found the jelly cubes and three boiling tubes.   
"There are three colours, blue, purple and clear. Which do you want, Janice?"   
"Oh, blue, please." He handed her a small bag with a few blue gelatinous cubes in it.  
"Cecil?" He held up the remaining two, and the purple one was snatched from him. He also gave out the tubes; one each.  
"Now, take a couple of the cubes and put them in the boiling tube, then fill it with water and leave it in the holder just there." He pointed to the test tube rack he'd placed on the corner of Janice's work top. They all did as told and Carlos looked the the clock.   
"They need leaving there for an hour, maybe and hour and a half depending on how busy we are in an hour, and then they'll need drying, but I'll explain the science later. Next I thought I'd ask you what you wanted to do. We have a model volcano, a rocket and I also thought I could show you how to make a solar cell, so you can convert sunlight into electricity." Cecil gasped, wide eyes and pulled Carlos aside.   
"You can't do that, you can't show her that! That's magic!" He hissed, but Carlos just shook his head.   
"It's not magic, Cecil, it's science!" But Cecil seemed apprehensive. They went back to Janice.  
"We leave the solar cell until last, because it's the most complicated and you need to practice your technique first. We can, however, demonstrate where the colours in fireworks come from. Would you like to do that, Janice?" She nodded vigorously, slightly agape.   
"Okay, we need to start a Bunsen burner, do you know where the matches are?" She pointed to a drawer out of her reach, and Cecil moved to get them. Carlos pulled out a gas canister he'd brought and attached it to the Bunsen burner with an orange pipe and placed it on a heat proof mat on the work top.  
"Cecil, you can light the burner and  then Janice, you can put the splints in the flame." He put a small amount if barium onto the end of a wooden splint and handed it to the girl. Then he turned on the gas and told Cecil to light a match. He did, and placed it near the burner. A roaring flame burst out, but Carlos quickly changed it onto safety flame.   
"Do you want me to show you how to work the Bunsen burner? This metal part is the only thing that changes, if you cover the hole completely you get this safety flame. If you have the hole open a little you get a hotter flame." He did it and the flame grew. "If you completely uncover the hole you get a roaring flame. This is used to heat things up. For this experiment we'll use a slightly uncovered hole. Go ahead and burn the splint."  
She tentatively held it in the flame and it flashed green before the barium burned away. Cecil looked more excited than Janice.  
Carlos handed her a splint with calcium on it, and it flashed red when burnt.  
"Wow, is there a purple one Carlos?" Cecil asked. The scientist grinned.  
"Yes there is, would you like to do it Cec?" He nodded, and took the splint with potassium on it and held it in the flame. Janice turned to look at Carlos in awe.  
"How does it do it?" She asked, thoroughly enthused.  
"It's kind of complicated. You know that everything around us is made of tiny particles called atoms, right?" She nodded.   
"Yeah, I've heard the TV documentaries talking about them."  
"Good, well, those tiny atoms are made of even tinier things, some of which are called electrons. These exist in energy shells around the atom's nucleus, like the Earth going around the sun. Like this," he drew a simplified atom, with a couple of concentric circles for energy levels.  
"Understand?"  
"I think so. How does that make the colours?"  
"Ah, you see the electrons get more energy when you heat them and they jump up a level, but then quickly come back down again. When they could back down they give out a photon, which is like a 'light particle', but don't tell anyone I described it like that because light travels in waves. We see that photon as green in Barium, red in Calcium and purple in Potassium because electrons have different energies in different elements. Does that make sense? I'm not very good at explaining."  
"The electrons in the atom get energy from the flame, jump up a level and them fall back down. This gives out a light particle of a certain colour depending on what element it is. Right?"  
"Exactly, very good Janice. That's very advanced science you've just learnt, I didn't know that until I was fifteen." She grinned, and Cecil gripped her shoulder proudly.   
"You can burn more of each if you want, now that you understand the science behind it." He put little bottles in front of her. He took Cecil back a little, still monitoring the young girl he'd just supplied with fire and metal powder.  
"You don't get it, do you?"  
"Yes, elements and jumping and light particles. Y'know, science."  
"Right… maybe we'll do something less advanced next." He jokingly, and went back to Janice.

"Shall we move on to rocket launching?" Carlos asked, happily.  
"Yes! Oh wow, real rocket launching?" He laughed and turned off the gas. The flame went out.  
"Not quite a real rocket, but real launching of what looks like a rocket. It makes a good popping noise."   
"Okay, let's do it!"

They made a rocket each, with Janice filling the fuel chamber with sodium bicarbonate, Cecil adding the vinegar and Carlos in charge of pushing the lid on and putting the rocket a 'safe distance' away. Cecil was scared of the rocket, so they aimed it over the fence into next door's garden. Janice's was by far the most successful. Cecil's leaked and didn't set off and Carlos' exploded violently covering his lab coat in bits of plastic and the reaction mixture. Carlos told the others to empty the water out of their crystals and put them on a paper towel to dry while he cleaned up.  
When he went back into the kitchen, Cecil was poking the jelly-like crystal shape.  
"They are very pretty, you were right Carlos."   
"These work because the cubes we put in were made of a hydrophilic polymer, which means a long chain of molecules that loves water. The water moves into the cubes by a process called osmosis, so the water moves across the partially permeable membrane. It's a pretty important process, and it's happening in you," he poked Cecil in the chest, "all the time. Pretty neat, huh?"  
"Very neat!" The Voice grinned. Janice was smiling at them, but she looked a little worn out.   
"Hey, Janice, I know I said we could do a couple of other things today, but I'm pretty tired right now. I promise I'll show you the solar cell some other time, and even the volcano if you want, but right now I think some ice cream would be nice. Sound good?" Carlos asked.  
"Okay- but you have to show me the sun thing soon. That could be useful." She seemed content to finish with science for today.   
"Cecil, why don't you go and get ice cream while I clean up here?"   
"Can you make those banana splits, like you did a couple of weeks ago? They were perfect."   
"Oh, I love banana splits!" Janice called. Carlos laughed and conceded.  
"Sure, bring bananas and chocolate chips and a sauce of your choosing." 

Cecil left to buy ingredients, and Janice set about cleaning up.  
"Oh, you don't need to do that. I can clear up, I brought a box set of science DVDs for us to watch, I'll put one on and join you when I've finished in here."  
"Are you sure?" She wrung her hands, but he nodded.  
"Mhmm, do you want to watch wonders of the solar system, universe or life?"  
"Oh, universe sounds good." She smiled, Carlos put in the DVD and went back to cleaning up. Cecil arrived just as he finished.

"Aww, you started science tv without me!" He pouted.  
"Sorry Uncle Cecil, you haven't missed too much, I promise." Janice patted the sofa next to her, but Cecil protested that he had to help Carlos since he'd done all the tidying.  
"Nonsense, you enjoy science day. For me it's science day every day." He insisted, and Cecil's heart fluttered. 

Carlos brought out the ice creams and they enjoyed them whilst watching The Wonders of the Universe. Before they knew it, Steve and Monica were back and they were saying goodnight to Janice.   
"You still need to show me that solar thing some time," She said as they were leaving.  
"I will, we'll call tomorrow and organise something."

They got into the car and Cecil drove home, music playing softly from the stereo. When they got back, Carlos collapsed on the couch and Cecil brought them both a beer.  
"Today was good, Carlos. I think she likes you."  
"Yeah, she's a very bright kid. So exited about science, I love to see that in people."  
"I'm also very into science these days, you know."  
"I do know. I tell you what though, today was more like physics with a bit of chemistry day- biology had very little representation." He sighed at his lack of knowledge and- frankly- the lack of exiting biology experiments. Cecil smirked.  
"Y'know we could always do something about that lack of biology." Carlos smirked back.  
"That's just what I was hoping for."

**Author's Note:**

> This probably isn't my best work, it was sitting around unfinished for weeks so the ending might seem a bit rushed. Oops. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
